Power Rangers Primal Spirits

by TheGlassEmperor

Across the universe nothing was safe from the clutches of Arcadyx, the universe's greatest pirate who scoured the stars seeking exotic species and artifacts to be sold on the intergalactic black markets for money. His latest hunt brings him to Earth, seeking five mythic artifacts of immense power known as the Spirit Cubes but in his way stand five warriors, ready to defend Earth!

4. Episode 4: Lower The White Flag

Over the many centuries he had been plundering the universe, Arcadyx had managed to build up quite a collection of creatures, treasures and desirables in the Ethospear's holding area. Whether it was a set of priceless Aquitian Mistgems, the last surviving Kaienian Prime Emberhowler or even the entire population of some unnamed world in the Enzigatto System; if it had a price to be made on the interstellar black markets, how could Arcadyx resist the chance to make some sweet XenoCreds? Just above the holding area, he was leaned against the guard rail, observing the population go about their days, as the Tentycons scurried around to unload any other treasures and collectables their master had acquired over the years. "So many beautiful monstrosities to unleash on those rainbow colored vermin, and so little time..." he said, with a quiet sigh, as his ever faithful secretary Khamelia wrapped her jet black arms around him.

"In a weird way, I miss the ones those pitiful little Rangers destroyed... don't you, darling?" she softly spoke, as Arcadyx gave a small chuckle. "I do, but as you know, when it comes to business, you gotta let some things go..." he said, as he turned around to her "But I once I get those Spirit Cubes, and the power they hold...", he put his hands around her waist "I can have whatever, and whoever... I want." he said with an almost seductive chuckle. Just then, he had heard a bit of commotion going on in Cell Sector 23. To his non-surprise, it was between Ironhorn and Veinemous again; the two had been at each other's throats more times than he could count. Ironhorn gave Veinemous a heavy blow to the skull, sending him right into the cell wall, as the Tentycons frantically scrambled to try and stop the fighting, but the foot soldiers were no match for the two monsters, while the rest of their cell mates cheered the two to keep fighting.

Ironhorn was clad in silver and cool blue, with fin like growths over his body, a massive armored shoulder on his right, and a blade-like appendage on his left arm. Meanwhile, Veinemous, true to his name, was covered in a bright red, veiny material with a purple-ish, blue underbody, a large , almost coral-like growth covering his right arm and protruding from his shoulder, while his left arm had metallic armor across it with large tubes coming out of them. "If you insult my mother like that again, I'mma tear off that fancy tube arm of yours, and shove it right down your nasty, greasy, slimy mouth!" roared Ironhorn, seething in anger. Veinemous simply chuckled, with a deadly hiss. "Hissss... You couldn't, hissss, beat me on your, hissss, best day..." he spat out, slime billowing out of his mouth. Ironhorn growled loud enough for any person to actually feel inside of them.

"Oh yeah? I'm ending this once and for all, you disgustin' slimeball!" he roared, charging forward, while Veinemous did the same. All of a sudden, four large balls and chains found themselves wrapped around their legs, stopping them dead in their tracks. Those belonged to Lockdown, the self-proclaimed warden of Cell Sector 23. He might've been captured from the prison world of Tekkan, but with the way he acted, you'd think he was a part of Arcadyx's crew. "Okay, knock it off you two Jellybrains!" he commanded with a growl, swinging around another one of his trademark Entrapment Chains. He was covered in black and white stripes from head to toe, with two massive crystalline, siren light like growths on his shoulders; the left was red while the right was a blackish-blue. " Stay out of this, Lockdown! You ain't the boss of us!" snarled Ironhorn, trying to free himself from the Entrapment Chain.

Lockdown slowly walked toward him, as the crowd's cheers very quickly died down, his expression unchanging, and each of his six blue and yellow eyes staring him down. "Oh, is that so Ironhorn? Who's the one that's got 'ya all chained up, then?" he spoke, just before ramming his golden, gauntleted fist straight into Ironhorn's gut. "That's right, I do!" growled Lockdown, as Ironhorn writhed around on the floor, clutching his gut in pain. Veinemous, on the other hand, remained perfectly still, almost content with what had happened to him. "And yet, hissss, here you are, imprisoned on this accursed ship, with the rest of these, hissss, disgusting lowlifes..." he scowled, just as he fired his tube arm right at Lockdown who, with lightning fast reflexes, caught the tubes right out of the air. "Oh, 'ya think so, do 'ya Veinemous?" he snarled, turning to the helpless monster.

Not a second passed before he swung Veinemous around like a hammer, before launching him straight into the cell wall with a heavy thud and splat. His attention quickly turned to the rest of the prisoners. "Let's get one thing clear around here, alright? I'm not the one trapped here, oh no; you bunch 'o losers, are trapped here, with ME! SO WHAT I SAYS, GOES AROUND HERE. GOT IT?!" he roared out, as every single being in the cell remained completely silent. Even the Tentycons were starting to quake in fear. "Yeah, that's I thought!" he finished. Just then, the sound of a throat being cleared echoed out. Lockdown turned around to see it was none other than Arcadyx and his dear Khamelia by his side, his arms crossed and staring daggers into him. "Yeah, 'whaddaya want? Make it quick!" he spoke, with a distinctly disrespectful tone. Arcadyx simply chuckled, before cracking his knuckles.

He soon stepped closer toward the shield between him and Lockdown. "You forget whose ship you're on, mate?" he grimly spoke. Lockdown, however, wouldn't have any of it. "Listen 'ere, pal. I don't care who this floating pile 'o tin belongs to, whether it's old Master Vile, Emperor Mavro, or even Dark Specter, and especially not you, lookin' like you just crawled out a giant bottle 'o Erkeegian Hot Sauce! Not a soul in this universe or any other, can keep Lockdown, DOWN! WE CLEAR?!" he roared out, never willing to be bossed around. Arcadyx, however, simply smiled and gave a small chuckle. "Whaddaya laughin' about now, huh?" he spout out to his captor. Arcadyx, however, was unfazed. "'cause I like your spunk... I got a little offer for 'ya." he said, with a smile. Meanwhile, back down on Earth, a small blue and white bus pulled in by the stop in Adderley Avenue.

Slowly stepping out of the bus was one Dawn Riley. She wore a bright white sweater, on her back was a small blue backpack, carrying her laptop and art supplies, and her light brown hair was kept in a neat pixie bob style. She was coming home from college for the summer to visit her parents, residing in Spring Shallows, with her mother and father's home sitting right by the water, along with several other houses. "Have a good day, ma'am!" said the bus driver, waving to her with a bright, happy smile. Dawn quietly turned around. "O-oh, thank you very much." she replied with a quiet wave, as the bus closed its door and drove away. She was an extremely timid and quiet person, always keeping to herself during college, and trying not to bother anybody. However, she did try to branch out to people, in her own way, by trying her hand at literature.

She decided her first story would be a simple adventure story involving treasure hunting with a romantic subplot thrown in. She had gotten as far as finishing the first chapter when she had run into a bit of writer's block, and she hoped that her creative juices would get going again during the Summer. She walked up to her parents' home and right up to its plain browny-red door, and gave a firm three knocks. Normally, her parents would almost immediately answer the door, but in this case... nothing happened. "Mom? Dad? Are you there?" she called out, slightly confused. She tried knocking again, this time slightly harder, but again, no answer. Perhaps they were out for the moment, maybe to the grocery store or somewhere like that. She set her backpack down, and sat quietly on the porch, waiting to see if her folks might return. Dawn waited for several minutes, but still no-one came to greet her.

Starting to grow worried, she pulled her phone out of her right pocket and dialed in her mom's phone number; she would almost always call back on her phone, unless of course it was an emergency. This time, however, no-one answered. "What's going on?!" she cried out, now beginning to panic. She got up from the porch and took a look around the Avenue, trying to see if she could find some help. As she wandered about the Avenue, she soon realized that everybody had vanished; not a single man, woman or child was around, for some bizarre reason."W-where is everyone?" she asked herself, growing more and more worried by the second. However, as she continued searching for her parents, or just anybody in general, a small meow came from behind her. She quickly turned around, and found a small grey cat, looking just as lost as she was. "Hey there, little guy... where's your owners?" she said, as she kneeled down to gently pet it.

The cat gave a gentle meow, as it rubbed against her legs, purring happily for a moment as it soon walked away from her. It soon sat down and gave her a stare, as though it wanted Dawn to follow it. "What is it?" she asked, as she stood back up and soon followed the cat, with it quickly taking the lead. It soon stopped by a wall, as though it did so as a warning. She carefully walked over and saw what made the cat stop in the first place. It was the sight of at least twelve civilians captured by Lockdown and a large squadron of Tentycons. Every single one of them had Entrapment Chains around their ankles, making sure they stayed in place. Not that they would attempt to leave, given the expression of fear across their faces. "That's right, stay in a circle, 'ya worthless bags of meat! Now one of 'yas is gonna tell me where that last Spirit Cube is, or throwin' all of 'ya in the 'slamma!" commanded Lockdown, pacing back and forth.

Dawn carefully scooped up the cat, but continued watching the proceedings. She carefully scanned the crowd, trying to see if she could find her parents in there, but the commotion made that extremely difficult. The captured civilians all looked back and forth at each other, having no idea what a Spirit Cube is or what this monster was talking about. "What's the matter? Y'all keepin' quiet for 'ya fellow man, is that it?! Well, if 'yer gums ain't gonna flap now, they will after this!" he growled, growing frustrated at the prisoners' lack of help. He gave a quick thumbs down, and all of a sudden, the civilians began sinking into the ground, with bright violet energy swallowing them up until they disappeared entirely. "Alright, let's go find us some more lawbreakas', then!" spoke Lockdown, confidently. Dawn's expression turned to pure horror, as she covered her mouth with her free right hand, trying not to scream or make a noise.

Realizing there was very little, if anything, she could do against Lockdown or the Tentycons, she carefully raced away, hoping not to get caught. Meanwhile, over at the Sanctuary, some interesting events were unfolding. Owen sat comfortably at his homegrown workshop he had set up, with the help of Talonwing, with two plasma conductors in his hands, and an industrial welding mask on his face, and sitting on the workshop table was one of the team's Cube Blazers. Energy beams fired out from the conductor's tips and onto the ancient metal Cube compartments of the Blazer, with bright blue sparks radiating outward on to the table and the ground. Thankfully, Owen was wearing specialized welding gear so he didn't end up getting burnt. Several seconds passed before Owen shut off the conductors and flipped up his mask, soon carefully lifting up the Blazers' components off of the table.

"Alright, that should do it. Give it a try, now." he said, soon handing the weapon over to Nate, who quickly set the weapon back into Blaster mode and aimed it at a crystalline training dummy; Owen had been doing modification work on the Blazers, and Nate volunteered to test out the weapon to make sure the upgrades had worked properly, as both Josh and Miranda were out in town doing a few errands. Nate stood in silence for only a second, before he pressed in the trigger and a blast of orange shot out and completely shattered the training dummy, with lots of crystalline pieces flying everywhere as the dummy collapsed to the ground. "Woah, that's got a real bite to it now!" he said, with a big grin on his face, really feeling the kick on the Blazer. Owen quickly slipped off his welding gear, and proceeded to take the Blazer from Nate's hands, once he was finished.

"I've made some changes to the ventilation systems in the Blaster Cube, which should reduce the wasted energy output by roughly 23%, and is now funneled directly into the blast; in other words, the shots should be more powerful." explained Owen, with Nate putting his hands on his hips. "And more powerful shots means the baddies will be feeling a bit more sore in the morning!" replied the Red Ranger, with a bright smile. "Pretty much." responded Owen, with a nod. Suddenly, two bright blue and yellow flashes appeared behind the two; it was Miranda and Josh, back from their errand. "We've got some good news!" said Miranda, brightly. "Did Arcadyx decide Earth wasn't worth it and go back home?" asked Nate, jokingly, as Miranda gave a chuckle. "No, but we just got word the Conservation Center will be ready in two weeks!" she replied, happily; she was more than ready to begin getting back to work at the Center.

Nate's expression brightened up. "Oh, nice! 'Ya hear that Josh? That means we can finally start making some money around here. You know, just like any responsible adult would do these days!" he said, with a distinct lilt of sarcasm and humor in his voice, taking the Blazer back from Owen. Josh rolled his eyes. "Except for the fact that most adults don't have to worry about having to defend the universe from some crazy space pirate and his horde of monsters." he replied, as Nate scoffed. "Yeah, well, where's the fun in not being the exception to the rule, huh?" he replied, taking another shot at another training dummy. Miranda chuckled at the two's conversation, before turning her attention to the green ranger, who was putting away his equipment. "Y'know Owen, I can easily help get you some work at the Center too, if you're interested." she said to him.

Owen turned to her. "I appreciate the offer, Miranda, but I'll have to respectfully decline. I feel like I could be a lot more useful here enhancing our equipment for whatever Arcadyx has planned next." he said, dusting off his hands. "That, and he's having way too much fun deciphering the runes in the Sanctuary." interjected Nate, with a smile. Soon, the lift that held Talonwing descended, as the bird man stood up from his kneeling position. "I see the modification process of the Cube Blazers has progressed well." he said, stepping off the lift. "Yep, the venting issues have hopefully been fixed so the shots should have more impact." replied Owen, putting his hands on his hips. "Excellent. You will need every advantage in the coming battles ahead." said Talonwing, joining the Rangers in a group. "Exactly, and I say you can never have too much firepower against a space pirate and his horde of monsters." said Nate, confidently.

Suddenly, the fifth and final crystal totem gave a radiant glow, which meant only one thing: the Spirits had a message for Talonwing. "That's our cue!" said Nate, aloud and brightly, as the team gathered around the totems, while Talonwing knelt down to receive whatever message they had for him. Several minutes passed before he finally spoke. "Hmm... Interesting..." he said. All of the Rangers gathered around him, eager to find out what he had learned. The keeper finally stood up and turned to the Rangers. "The final Spirit Cube's location is still unknown to me." he spoke, as the Rangers all looked at each other with disbelief and confusion, before turning back to Talonwing. "However, I have learned that an alarming number of civilians have gone missing in Adderly Avenue, near the outskirts of Spring Shallows. There is no doubt in my mind that one of Arcadyx's monsters has taken them." he said, looking at each of the team.

Miranda's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "My grandmother used to live there. You think the last Cube could be there?" she said. Owen put his fingers under his chin, pondering to himself. "Probably. They could also be trying to lure us out into a trap." he had deduced, believing there was a connection between the location of the disappearances and where the Cube could be. "Well, I hate to say it, but it's a risk we're gonna have to take." replied Nate, putting his hands to his hips. Talonwing gave an approving nod. "Agreed. You must locate and destroy the monster that has taken the civilians, and keep your eyes open for the final Spirit Cube." he said to the team, as the Rangers quickly summoned their Cubes, punched in the transport code, and in a bright flash of colors, all teleported to Adderly Avenue. They all looked around, and saw the place was completely quiet; nobody was there to see them arrive.

Josh observed the area."Where is everybody? Were we too late?" he asked, getting concerned. "Possibly." replied Owen, with a very serious expression on his face. Nate gave a small nod, coming up with a plan. "Alright, I say we split up and take a look around. Josh, you're with Miranda. Owen, you're with me. Keep in contact at all times, if you spot anything strange, let us know." he ordered, as the Rangers nodded in agreement and set off. Roughly an hour passed as both Owen and Nate continued their search, with the two coming up with nothing. "Well, if there's one thing that monster is, it's efficient; there's nobody here." said Owen, looking around a few houses, trying to see if anybody was around, to no success. "Yeah, that seems to be the only thing we can give that thing... aside from the probably ugly as all heck looks." replied Nate, before summoning his Cube in call mode. "Josh, any luck on your end?" he asked.

"Nothing, this place is completely barren. No sign of that monster, either." responded Josh, still looking around with Miranda. "Gotcha, keep us posted, just in case." replied Nate, on the other side, as Josh quickly desummoned his Cube and continued looking around. Examining a corner, Miranda began to hear the distinct sound of footsteps at a rapid pace. She slowly stepped toward the corner, where the footsteps were coming from, and pretty much the instant she was about to turn the corner, she nearly ended up getting headbutted by Dawn, who let out an ear piercing scream, or as loud as he could muster with her lack of breath. "Woah, easy!" said Miranda, trying to calm Dawn down. "Are you okay?" she asked, checking up on the girl. Dawn was still trying to catch her breath. "Yeah... I'm... I'm fine." she said, panting heavily. Miranda turned away from her and summoned her Cube. "Guys, I found somebody, quick!" she said, commandingly.

She turned back to the girl. "What's your name?" she asked, looking straight into her eyes. Dawn was still very much out of breath, and shaking all over, as though she were in the arctic; she was evidently in shock. "D-Dawn... it's Dawn." she finally spoke, still clutching the cat from earlier. "Hey!" said a male voice from behind Miranda, she turned around and saw the other three Rangers rushing over to the two. Miranda turned back to Dawn. "It's okay, they're friends. That's Nate, Josh and Owen." she carefully explained, before turning back to the other three. "Guys, this is Dawn." she said, as the three gave a small wave to Dawn. Miranda turned back to her. "It's okay, we're here to help." she said, helping Dawn up to her feet. Josh stepped forward. "Listen, we know this all extremely sudden, but if you're able to tell us what happened around here, as best you can, we'd appreciate it." he said.

Dawn's breathing started getting heavier, and much more erratic. "I... I was coming home on the bus, and tried to knock on my house door and relax, but... but nobody answered... then I found this cat and it... it led me to..." but before she could finish, "A-HA! THERE 'YA ARE!" said a dark voice from behind them, as Dawn gave a yelp and turned around to see Lockdown and a band of Tentycons with him. "So this is where 'ya ran off to, and you found a few stowaways too!" snarled Lockdown, as Dawn scurried behind the Rangers. "That's it! That's the... the thing that took everybody!" squealed Dawn, panicking. "No arguments here." quipped Owen, as the Rangers all stood their ground. "Alright. Dawn, get as far away from here as you can, we'll catch up!" commanded Nate. Dawn gave a quick nod and ran off, the cat still in her arms. Nate turned his attention back to the monster.

"Now as for you, pal, you can either let those civilians go on your own, or we're gonna have to make you let 'em go." he ordered, putting a fist in his hand, ready to fight. Lockdown was taken aback by the threat. "Hey, nobody threatens Lockdown! Especially not some punk like you!" he scoffed at the Ranger. Nate simply cracked his neck and knuckles. "Alright, have it your way." he said, before turning to the others "Ready?" he turned to the others, as they all summoned their Spirit Cubes. "Ready!" they all proclaimed, fully ready for combat. "Spirits Within, Awaken!" they all shouted, and in a bright flash, had all morphed into their Ranger forms and soon charged into battle, as Lockdown and the Tentycons did the same. Dawn, still gripping the cat tightly, observed the battle between them from a safe distance. "Spirit Surge!" cried out Josh, quickly summoning his Lion Slashers and gracefully flipping over a charging Tentycon.

Just moments before his feet hit the ground again, his sharp right claw grabbed a hold of the hapless foot soldier. "Alley-oop!" he quipped as he rolled over the Tentycon, before he soon hurled it straight into the air, where it was soon grabbed by Nate's Whipblade. "Gotcha!" called out Nate, as he soon did a massive hammer throw with the helpless cronie, managing to smack around a good number of its allies in the process, swinging it around and around for almost five whole seconds before hurling it right at Lockdown. The monster almost gets knocked off his feet by the incoming Tentycon, which quickly crumpled on the ground in pain, before Lockdown swiftly booted it out of the way. Just as he did so, he soon got to see the sight of Miranda and Owen charging toward him, before landing two heavy dropkicks at him, managing to knock him right on his behind.

Lockdown struggled back up to his feet, as the Rangers stood over him, ready for more. "Y'all think this is over?! Y'all are wrong, I tell 'ya! WRONG!" he roared out, before suddenly disappearing into the ground. Josh jolted forward, stunned. "Where'd he go?!" he asked, panicked, as he almost tripped over himself trying to find Lockdown. "Hang on, I got an idea!" quickly said Miranda, as she suddenly powered up her Shark Spin and dove straight into the ground, chasing after Lockdown, leaving the guys to themselves. Owen summoned his Cube, and gave Talonwing a status report. "Talonwing, we found a single person at Adderley. We also found the monster but it's gotten away. No sign of the Cube, either." he said, as clearly as he could. Talonwing silently nodded in response. "Find somewhere safe for the civilian and track down where the monster has gone." he replied, calmly.

Owen sighed, quietly. "Understood." he finished, before willing away his Cube. Dawn soon slipped out from her hiding place, the cat still in her arms, as comfortably as it could be, given the commotion, with her being completely stunned at what had just happened; four strangers show up out of nowhere, take on a monster that's probably from outer space, and then turn out to be Power Rangers? As in the heroes that stopped the likes of Rita Repulsa, the Machine Empire, and Astronema? She must've been dreaming, she thought to herself, but alas, this was real. "Woah. You guys are... Power Rangers?" she asked, cautiously approaching the heroes, as they all turned to her. "Oh, uh, yeah... I guess we forgot to mention that." said Nate, awkwardly putting his right hand behind his head. Suddenly, Miranda spun out of the ground, spinning like a top before gracefully landing. "Any luck finding that monster?" asked Josh, concerned.

Miranda, unfortunately, just shrugged. "Nothing, he's a slippery one." she replied, sadly. Despair quickly washed over Dawn's face, as she simply crumpled down on to the ground, on the verge of tears. "My parents... they were caught by that thing... They could be..." she struggled to get out, as her voice cracked and crumbled. The Rangers all demorphed, and Miranda carefully knelt down to Dawn. "Listen, I know you might not know or trust us, but we're going to do whatever it takes to get your parents back; that's a Ranger's promise." she quietly said to the distraught Dawn, holding a hand out to help her up. Nate gave a silent nod. "That's right, he's not gonna lose us that easily, and we're not going to stop until we get your folks, and the other civilians back." responded Nate, crossing his arms. Josh turned to Dawn. "Is there anywhere you can go? Because this place isn't safe anymore." he asked.

Dawn carefully dusted herself off. "No... I had just come up from Reefside to visit my parents for the summer and... I don't have anybody else to turn to..." she replied, still evidently upset. The Rangers all looked at each other, bewildered, before they all huddled up to discuss what to do with her. "She's clearly in shock, we need to get her somewhere safe, away from the fighting." said Owen, whispering to the others. "Well, what about the Sanctuary? That's as safe a place as any, right?" suggested Josh. "Oh yeah, I'm sure that'll really go over well with Talonwing, bringing a friggin' stranger into our base, provided she doesn't have a heart attack from seeing an anthropomorphic bird. I mean, you saw her reaction to that monster!" scoffed Nate, sarcastically. Miranda quietly sighed in response. "Listen, we'll figure out where she'll go later. Right now, we need to figure out where the monster took the civilians." she replied.

Owen turned to Miranda. "Are you sure you didn't detect anything while searching underground? Anything at all?" he asked. Miranda's eyes scanned the ground, as the gears in her head visibly turned given her expression, trying to see if there was anything at all that could lead to Lockdown's location while she was searching. "I'm trying to think..." she said, thinking hard. "I didn't think it was important before, but there was a bit of a vibration coming from the east, if I had to guess." she finally said. Josh looked at the others. "Well, I say it's worth a look." he said, determined. The others nodded carefully. As this was going on, the cat inside Dawn's arms began to squirm and struggle around for a moment, giving a frustrated meow. She looked down at the cat. "Hey... what's wrong?" she asked it, as the Rangers continued their conversation to each other. The cat gave a loud meow before it had started to glow.

Dawn let out a yelp as she dropped the cat, with it landing on all fours. The Rangers all turned to see the cat glow even brighter for several moments before, in a bright flash of white light, transforming into the last Spirit Cube. "Uh..." said Dawn, completely dumbfounded and pretty much speechless. Nate looked down at the newly unveiled Cube. "Well, that's... surprisingly convenient." he quipped, as Dawn stood in front of them, with the Cube sitting on the ground. "W-what... what just happened?" she asked, trying to get the words out. The Rangers all looked at each other for a moment, before Miranda stepped forward. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe us..." she said to Dawn, before bending down to pick up the Cube, as it gently hummed with energy, and was slightly warm to the touch. "This right there is a Spirit Cube, it has the power of an animal spirit in it." she said, before summoning her own Cube.

"It's the last one of five. The monster that we fought belonged to an interstellar pirate named Arcadyx who wants the Cubes, and their power for his own means, and we're trying to stop that from happening." she finished, as the other three Rangers all nodded in response. Dawn was still confused as to what had happened, or what she was talking about, but this explanation was as good as she was going to get. "...Um... uh... okay..." she quietly said, taking the Cube from Miranda. "I know this is a lot to take in at once, but we're telling you the truth." she said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. Dawn quietly nodded back, as Miranda activated her Cube's call mode. "Talonwing, we have the final Spirit Cube, we're coming back to you, but we need to bring the civilian with us. She's not safe in town." she said. A moment passed before she had gotten an answer.

Talonwing was extremely hesitant to bring a random, unknowing civilian to the Sanctuary. However, if the Cube was willing to show itself to Dawn, she may be the last one they need. "Very well, bring the civilian to the Sanctuary. I await your return." he finally answered. Miranda disconnected, punched in the teleportation code in her Cube and soon held out her arm to Dawn. "Hold on tight. We have somewhere safe for you." she said. Dawn simply stared at Miranda's hand for a moment. Where was it that she was going to take them? Did she even trust this stranger? In any case, wherever she was going to bring her, it couldn't be much more dangerous than here, right? Despite her reservations and fears, she carefully took Miranda's hand and gave it a firm grip, and in a bright flash of colors, the group all teleported to the Sanctuary. Dawn carefully released her grip on Miranda's hand and began to take in the sights.

The ancient stone walls, the bright spiritual energy veins flowing through them, the crystal totems sitting in the center of the room on a pedestal, it was all far, far too much for her to take in. "...wow..." she gasped, as Nate gave a chuckle in response. "Yeah, that was our reaction too." he said, jokingly. Above them, the lift once more descended down from the perch, as Talonwing greeted the Rangers with his presence, to which Dawn almost stumbled back in fear, hiding behind the group. "It's okay, that's our boss Talonwing, he's one of the good guys." said Josh, reassuredly. Talonwing slowly stepped off of the lift, with his distinct aura of wisdom and age enveloping the Sanctuary. His old eyes quickly locked on to Dawn, as she was still evidently afraid of him, despite Josh's assurance. He carefully raised his right hand. "I assure you, I am no threat to Earth, or its inhabitants." he softly said.

Nate crossed his arms, and turned to Dawn. "Yeah, no need to worry. He's no bird-brain!" he chuckled, to no-one's amusement, aside from his own. Owen simply rolled his eyes. "On a more serious note, we do have the last Cube with us." he finished, as he and the other four Rangers showed their Cubes, with Dawn holding out hers as well. Josh looked at the others. "So, all that's left to do is to activate the last Cube, right?" he said, optimistically. Dawn gave a confused expression. "...A-activate it?" she asked, slightly worried. Miranda turned to her. "That's right. It's how we got our powers." she replied, as Talonwing stepped forward. "The Spirit Cubes choose who is worthy of their power. If you have been chosen to inherit its gift, you should be able to open the Cube and receive the power inside." he explained, carefully, as the Rangers all turned to Dawn. "...um... okay...?" she replied, cautiously. She carefully flipped the Cube around, and stared at it intently.

Her mind was racing and her heart was pounding so hard, everybody around her could audibly hear it. This was an exciting, and terrifying, moment for her. On the one hand, she was scared to death about what was going to happen; she was barely able to stand up for itself in public school, and now she would become a Power Ranger? Plain and simply, absolutely ridiculous, she thought! But, on the other hand, she had to do something to save her parents, her town, and probably the entire world. Perhaps these bizarre events, and these four strangers, could be the key to strengthening her resolve. She closed her eyes, and as gently yet firmly as she could manage, opened up the final Cube, and awakened the power inside, and became the next Ranger... or so she and the others were expecting to happen. For whatever reason, the Cube simply refused to open for her.

Her eyes shot open, soon staring at the Cube in her hands."...w-what's wrong?" she asked, confused, as she then tried to forcefully pry it open, but to no avail, as the other Rangers looked at each other, visibly confused. "...nothing's happening?!" she said, still trying to force it open with all of her strength, to no effect. The other Rangers had no explanation as to why the Cube couldn't open for Dawn. "Maybe it needs new batteries or something?" said Nate, half-jokingly, throwing his hands into the air. Talonwing, however, gave a frustrated sigh. "Or it is as I had unfortunately predicted." he said, disheartened, as the quintet all turned to him. "What do you mean?" asked Miranda, crossing her arms, and raising an eyebrow. "It brings me no end of pain to say it, but I fear Dawn is not worthy of the Cube's power." he explained, his voice having a distinct lilt of frustration in it.

Dawn's expression quickly turned to sorrow, as her gaze turned to the ground, and her eyes began to water, realizing she wasn't good enough to be chosen for its power. "..n-no..." she said, her voice cracking and breaking apart, as Miranda did her best to try and comfort her. "It's alright..." she said to her, holding her close and trying to calm her down. Josh, however, gave a confused expression. "But... I thought the Cube chose her when it transformed? It wouldn't reveal itself to her if she wasn't worthy, right?" he asked, turning to the others. Owen was already cooking up several theories in his head, but every single one of them he could think of all had no proper explanation as to why she wasn't chosen. "The Spirits must work in weird ways." he finally said, frustrated, throwing his hands up in defeat. Nate sighed, and put his hands on his hips, trying to defuse the situation.

"Okay look, Dawn might not be able to use it, but on the plus side we have the last Cube; we know where it is and it's safe here in the Sanctuary. All we have to do is hold out until we find somebody who can use it." he said, looking at the others. Owen crossed his arms. "The question is, how long will it take to find somebody worthy?" he asked, turning to Talonwing. Nate shrugged, and threw his hands in the air. "I don't know! I mean, we can't exactly hand out fliers asking for try-outs, now can we?!" he replied, looking frustrated. Dawn, tears rolling down her face, and Miranda still holding her close, felt more and more beaten down by the moment. "...I...I'm sorry..." she said, through her tears. Miranda looked at Nate, visibly upset as well. "You're not helping, Nate." she said, frustrated. Nate sighed, regretfully. "I'm sorry. I'm... I'm just frustrated." he replied, his expression quickly souring.

He turned to Talonwing, trying to figure out what to do next. " Is there any way we can convince the spirits to accept her?" he asked, as Talonwing pondered for a moment before he responded. "It is a process that takes a great amount of willpower, and time that we do not have." he answered, as the Rangers all looked at each other, disheartened. Suddenly, the last crystal totem began to flash once more. Talonwing stepped up onto the pedestal and knelt down once more, preparing to receive the message the Spirits had. Only a few moments had passed, before Talonwing stood back up, and turned to the Rangers to relay what he had just learned. "I've received word that more civilians have disappeared across Spring Shallows, across multiple locations." he said, urgency wellowing up in his old, cracking voice, as the Rangers all looked at each other, planning their next move.

"We should split up, we'll cover a lot more ground that way." said Owen, turning to the others. Nate gave a nod in response. "Right. Somebody should check the east end to see if those civilians are there." he replied, as Josh stepped forward, ready to take action. "I'll do it." responded Josh. "I'll go with him, just in case." said Miranda, also stepping forward. Nate nodded in response. "Alright, then we've got ourselves a plan; Owen will come with me, and you two will check the east end, be sure to keep your eyes wide open, and your heads on a constant swivel. Be sure to give a call if anything happens, got it?" said Nate. The other Rangers quietly nodded and summoned their Cubes, ready to head out, as Miranda knelt down to Dawn, who was sitting on the pedestal steps by the totems. Dawn silently turned to Miranda, tears still welling up in her eyes.

Miranda gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay here, and don't worry; we're going to get your parents back... I promise." said Miranda, assuringly. Dawn carefully wiped the tears from her eyes. "...o-okay..." she softly responded. Miranda stood up, her Cube still summoned, and inputted the teleportation code and, along with the other Rangers, disappeared in a bright flash of colors. With that, the group began their search for Lockdown, and the missing civilians. Nate and Owen searched the northern district, home to many apartment complexes, while Josh and Miranda took a look by the eastern end, which had a massive beach where many tourists could enjoy themselves. A good hour and a half passed by, with Nate soaring through every part of the district multiple times, seeing if there was anything he might've missed, and Owen checking every rooftop to see from above where the civilians could've gone.

Nate held out his arms, wings still active, and began his descent right next to Owen, who was patrolling the desolate streets. "Anything?" asked Nate, landing on the pavement with a light thud. Owen shook his head while putting his hands on his hips. "Nothing that I can find. How about you?" responded Owen, but Nate simply shrugged in disappointment. "Pretty much a whole lot of nothing..." he replied, sadly. He quickly summoned his Cube, and set it to call mode. "Josh, Miranda, you two find anything?" he spoke into the Cube, but rather suspiciously, after a few moments, there was no answer from either Ranger. "Josh? Miranda? Guys, are you there?" he asked, quickly shaking the Cube, thinking there may be something wrong with it. "C'mon guys, don't leave me hanging!" he said rather loudly, but again, no answer. Owen quickly summoned his Cube, and tried giving the two a call himself.

"Miranda and Josh, this is Owen, come in!" he said, practically shouting into the Cube. Again, they never got a response. Owen turned to Nate. "Something's wrong." he said, as Nate frantically set communications back to the Sanctuary. "Talonwing, we're not getting any answers from Josh and Miranda!" he said, starting to grow worried. Talonwing, still knelt down and observing the Rangers progress from the Sanctuary's totems, also noticed the connection between him and Josh and Miranda had mysteriously gone dark. How did he not notice this, he wondered? He tried searching for their spirits, he could feel them still out there... but he had no idea where they were... "Rangers, their signals have gone dark; I fear something may have happened to them." he finally said, growing more and more worried. Dawn, still sitting down on the steps, quietly overheard the conversation. "...oh no..." she said to herself.

Talonwing could do nothing but sigh in despair, he couldn't lose a team of Rangers... not again. "I will transmit their last known location to your Cubes. Go with utmost caution." he said, his voice having begun to crack under pressure. "Gotcha. Let's go!" responded Nate, turning to Owen, and with the coordinates in hand, the two raced off to the east end. At full sprint, it took the pair roughly twenty minutes to reach their last known destination, that being a large beach highlighted by a large cave entrance. The two stopped right at the mouth of the cave. "This is the place." said Owen, peering into the cave. "Well, nothing quite like a spooky cave to get the adrenaline goin', huh?" chuckled Nate, as he and Owen summoned their Blazers and proceeded into the cave. It was dark and dank, as you would normally expect with a cave. Ten or so minutes passed as the two continued traversing the dark, stone path.

Luckily, their Blazers also came with a flashlight, something Owen added on during his modification process, just in case. Nate turned to Owen, the two still walking ahead. "You know, I bet you're used to exploring caves and whatnot, given that Precursor stuff is pretty well hidden." he said, still holding out his Blazer to see ahead. Owen chuckled quietly. "Oh, you have no idea. I've honestly lost count of how many caverns and other tunnels I've explored trying to find anything, even the smallest shred of proof, of the Precursors. Then, the next thing I know I not only find a bloody temple, I find the Sanctuary, with working technology, AND an actual living Precursor." he replied with a smile, obviously hidden due to his helmet. "Don't forget becoming a Power Ranger, too." said Nate, also smiling, as Owen chuckled again. "How could I?" he added.

Nate then turned his attention to Owen's right leg. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your leg, exactly? Because I saw you had a prosthetic when we were fighting that plant monster back in the Amazon." he asked. The pair stopped for a moment. "Oh, you mean this?" wondered Owen, lifting up his right leg, covered up in his Green Ranger form. "I was in a car accident a few years ago and my leg got messed up pretty bad and I had to get a prosthetic one. I was in a bit of a rough spot for a while, to be brutally honest." he finished, letting go of his leg, his voice growing slightly more sad. Nate put a hand on Owen's shoulder, smiling. "Well, for what you think it's worth, we're glad you pulled through." he added, patting him. "Thanks. That does mean a lot, actually." replied Owen, nodding. The two continued onward and soon came across a large chamber-like section.

The air was still and the ambience was dead silent; something was wrong, and the two could feel it. To make matters even more unsettling, before the two Rangers were both Josh and Miranda, lying unconscious on the ground in a pile. "There they are." said Nate, pointing at the fallen Rangers. Owen observed the chamber, as best he could in the darkness. "Something feels off. I don't see any Tentycons or that monster." he added, his tone of voice having grown confused and concerned. "Mm-hmm... I'm gonna hazard a guess and say this could be a trap..." said Nate, with a quiet nod as he summoned his Cube. "Talonwing, we found Josh and Miranda, but something's wrong, we don't see any baddies around..." he said, but much like before, he never got an answer. "Talonwing? Are you there?" he asked again, before desummoning his Cube. "No signal, that's bad." he said to Owen.

Nate began to formulate a plan in his head. "I think I have an idea." he said, before summoning his Whipblade and, as gently as he could while still trying to get a grip, attempted to wrap the blade around Josh's leg and pull him back from the center of the chamber. "Alright, easy does it..." he said, pretty much biting his tongue as he tried dragging Josh back. But, unknown to either Ranger, like a shadow in the night, something silently came up behind them... "SURPRISE!" roared a familiar voice from behind, and a heavy hit from a massive metal ball, sent the two Rangers flying into the center of the chamber with screams, right alongside their fallen comrades. Reeling in pain, the pair managed to catch a glimpse of the perpetrator; it was Lockdown, gleefully chuckling as he slowly walked toward the Rangers, like a Roman gladiator preparing for battle with a lion.

Lockdown let one of his Entrapment Chains land on the ground, with an unimaginably heavy metallic thud, dirt being kicked up from the drop. "And so the criminal scum return to the scene of the crime!" cackled Lockdown, fully prepared for battle. Still reeling and writhing in pain, the Rangers tried to pick themselves off of the ground, and ready themselves for the upcoming fight. "You mean the zebra colored freak of nature who kidnapped civilians?" said Nate, hastily standing up with a wobble and readying his Whipblade. Lockdown was visibly taken aback by Nate's comment. "NOBODY CALLS ME A FREAK, 'YA BRIGHT RED BRAT!" he roared, as he summoned another Entrapment Chain and swung it at the two Rangers. The pair just barely rolled out of the way of his attack, and Nate readied his weapon. "Oh I'm gonna hurt more than your ego, pal!" cried out Nate, swinging the long blade at Lockdown.

Lockdown simply swatted the blade away with his Chain and a dismissive scoff. "Do your worst, punk!" he growled, swinging his chain at the Red Ranger, who had swiftly ducked underneath the incoming attack and bull rushed Lockdown, activating his Eagle Boost and blasted off like a rocket. But Lockdown had other ideas, as Nate flew in closer. "This here is a no-fly zone!" he quipped, as he quickly pulled out another Entrapment Chain and managed to ensnare Nate, who quickly landed with a thud. All Nate could do was squirm and struggle hopelessly. "I can't move!" he said, trying to free himself. Lockdown was suddenly hit by four Blazer shots, before he rushed in to help. "Oh, 'ya want some too huh?!" he called out, throwing another Entrapment Chain at Owen, who had given a graceful flip out of the way before charging forward once more. "Spirit Surge!" he cried out, as his Elephant Crushers quickly appeared on his feet.

With a hefty roar, Owen leapt up and managed to boot Lockdown right in the face with both of his Crushers, sending him back a good seven meters. Lockdown growled in pain. "I'm chargin' you with battery against a law enforcer! The sentence is... A PAINFUL DESTRUCTION!" he roared, as he swung another Entrapment Chain at Owen, with the weapon wrapping itself around his legs, just as he did a powerful stomp. The added weight amplified the stomp by at least a hundred times, and the resulting shockwave was more than enough to cause a cave in at the entrance of the chamber. "Well, looks like you got yourselves trapped... WITH ME!" said Lockdown, once the shaking finally stopped. Owen was pinned to the ground, and struggled to get the chains off of his legs. "...Come on..." he said, through his teeth, still trying to free himself.

Lockdown, instead, grabbed the chains holding Owen down and proceeded to do a massive hammer throw with the helpless Green Ranger and managed to toss him right into Nate, incapacitating the two almost instantly. "That takes care 'o that!" he chuckled, as the Rangers writhed in pain. "Oh, and just in case you two were wonderin'..." he waltzed over to the fallen Josh and Miranda, and proceeded to boot the downed Rangers hard enough to send them flying. Once they landed, their helmets shattered into a hundred pieces, but instead of their heads being exposed... out poured a load of sand from their bodies. "That's right... they were fakes! You dummies couldn't save the dummies!" laughed Lockdown, as he gave a trademark thumbs down, and the two Rangers helplessly sunk into the ground.

Meanwhile, over at the Sanctuary, Dawn began looking around her new surroundings, quietly placing her hand on the walls, and watching in awe as the spiritual energy flowed through the cracks and veins in the ancient stone. Talonwing, on the other hand, was much less relaxed. He soon realized all of the Rangers' signals had gone dark, every millisecond that went without knowing their status brought more and more dread to his already burdened being. "Rangers, are you there? Rangers." said Talonwing, frantically. Dawn turned around to see him getting noticably worried. "Nathan, respond immediately! Owen, please answer!" he cried out, as Dawn stopped what she was doing to check on him. "Anybody! Rangers!" he cried out once more, but once he hadn't received an answer from any of them, even from Nate and his talkative self, the grim realization had finally come to him.

Dawn slowly approached Talonwing, who had grown silent. "...what happened?" she asked, fearfully. Talonwing slowly stood up from his kneeling position, and turned to her, his expression being nothing short of pure, unadulterated fear. "I can no longer commune with the Rangers... I fear I may have sent them to their destruction..." he said, solemnly, staring at the ground, looking extremely lost in thought. All Dawn could do was ponder the situation to herself. "...W-what do we do?" she finally asked, but Talonwing had no answer to give her, none that would help anyways. "I... I... I feel for the first time in... a very long time... I have no idea of what to do..." he responded, sadly, as he sat down on the steps and put his hands to his head. He was broken, lost, and completely defeated. All Dawn could do was simply sit down beside him, quietly fidgeting around with the Cube in her hands, sadness building up in her.

Tears began to well up in her eyes once more. " ...This is all my fault... they're in trouble, because of me..." she spoke very softly, to the point you could barely hear her. Talonwing turned to her, watching her face coldly. "Why do you say that?" he asked her, as she continued staring at the ground. "...Because if I never showed up... maybe this wouldn't have happened..." she replied, her voice beginning to crumble. "If you had not appeared when you did... the last Cube may have fallen into the wrong hands." he replied, reassuringly. Dawn had no answer though. "...Or maybe someone else would get this thing... and they could use it..." she quietly sighed. "I mean ...Miranda and the others... they're so strong, and brave, and I'm just... me. Heck, I get scared from stuff like big dogs or needles... and they're out there trying to save the world..." she said, looking visibly defeated.

Talonwing pondered to himself, trying to think of something to help her wounded conscious. He turned back to her. "What is it your heart wants to do?" he asked her, as Dawn sighed quietly, thinking to herself, the Cube still twirling around in her fingers. "...I...I want to help them but... I'm scared..." she finally answered. Talonwing put a feathered hand on her shoulder. "Fear is what keeps us going, and in fact, can make you stronger." he said, assuringly. She turned her attention to him, honestly puzzled by his response. "...really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Talonwing stood up and turned to her. "To fight without fear can lead to recklessness, and ultimately, destruction." he said, as he held out a hand for her. Dawn stared at his hand for a brief moment, before she reached out and took it, giving it a firm grip as she was let up, and quickly brushed herself off.

"If one has to protect something dear to them, they should not reject their fear, but embrace it, and allow it to fuel their strength." he carefully explained to her. Dawn's eyes widened, and her mind was all over the place. "I... I guess I never thought of it that way." she quietly replied, as Talonwing put a hand on her shoulder. "The Spirits may not see you as worthy... but I believe in you, and now... the Rangers need your help, and I know, deep down, you can save them." he finished. Dawn was completely speechless, at this point. Very few people had believed in her, not even herself. She was terrified of what could happen to her if she tried to fight... but she knew she would be even more scared of what could happen to her family, and her newfound friends. She took in a deep breath, and then stared Talonwing right in the eyes, her expression having grown from fear to confidence.

She took a deep breath. "...Okay... You're right, I am scared... of what could happen to me, but... if I don't do something... I'll regret it a lot more than trying and failing... even if I'm not a Ranger, I have to try and save my family... and my friends..." she said, wiping the tears from her eyes, with a look of newfound determination on her face. Suddenly, almost on cue, the Cube in her hands soon began to break open its stone exterior, letting out a bright white light through the cracks, and soon the stone crumbled away, revealing its active state. Dawn quietly gasped as she observed the newly active Cube; this was it... she proved she was worthy. She looked up to Talonwing, who gave an approving nod, before she twisted the top of the cube, and out came a Cube animal, just as the other Rangers had encountered before her, this time a cubified Tiger had flown out of the cube, and began to circle around her, with light trailing behind it.

The small Cube Tiger gave a little roar as it dove head first into Dawn, and in a bright flash of white light, she had discovered she had become the White Ranger. "...woah..." she said to herself, observing her Ranger form, before looking back at Talonwing. "Are you ready for this?" he asked her. Dawn took a deep breath, and gave a nod. "Let's do it." she spoke. Meanwhile, inside another chamber in the cavern lay two containment cells, one holding the unconscious Rangers, and the other holding the missing civilians. There were quiet whispers among the crowd, as they watched the fallen Rangers, who at this point were unmorphed, lie helpless on the cold, metal floor of the energized containment cell. Nate soon began to stir back to consciousness, his eyes slowly opening up as he held his abdomen in pain, and not long after, turning to see his fallen comrades, including Josh and Miranda.

He crawled over to the downed Blue and Yellow Rangers. "Guys? Guys! Wake up!" he said to them, gently shaking the two. Josh quickly stirred back to life. "...wha... what happened?" he said, trying to pick himself off of the ground, as Miranda did the same. Josh gave Nate a stare of pure confusion, just as Owen awoke. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, putting himself in a sitting position. "We came to check on you two, your signals went kaput." replied Nate, whispering to him, so not to alert the civilians about their Ranger identities. Miranda shook her head in pain. "We're investigating this place, ran into Lockdown and got knocked out." she explained. "Funny, that's pretty much what happened to us." Nate scoffed, as the group stood up and dusted themselves off. Owen pressed his hands against the energy barrier holding the cell together. "It looks like some kind of energy field, hard light maybe?" he said, inquiring.

He turned to the group. "Not sure if we can crack this open." he said, after tapping against the field. The Rangers looked around their cell, trying to find a weak spot to exploit. "Hey!" said a voice from the other cell, as the Rangers all turned. "We saw those... things drag you in here. You guys are Power Rangers, right? With those suits?" said one of the civilians. The Rangers all looked at each other, visibly worried about their identities being compromised. "Uh..." said Nate, rubbing the back of his head, slightly confused. "I always wanted to meet a Power Ranger! I remember you guys goin' after Rita Repulsa back in the 90s!" replied the civilian, an excited man. Another civilian, a woman, stepped forward. "That wasn't them exactly! There's like hundreds of Ranger teams, aren't there?" she chimed in. "Oh yeah, and I thought you guys always had a Pink Ranger?" replied the man.

Just then, a stone door quickly slid open, and in stepped Lockdown, along with a large squad of Tentycons, giggling as he stared at the trapped Rangers. "Well well well, I see the rainbow brigade's enjoyin' their playpen!" he said, with a smile. Josh then quickly pushed past the others and began to violently pound against the cell walls. "Oh yeah?! Just you wait! We're gonna wipe the floor with you!" he growled, much like the Lion spirit within him, baring his teeth. Lockdown chuckled, crossing his arms. "Aww, does the poor little kitty want some milk?" he said, mockingly, as he walked up to the cell barrier. "Now... where's 'ya little friend gone to?" he asked, his tone growing far more threatening. Nate, however, wasn't having any of it and simply crossed his arms. "Pfft, like we'll tell you anything..." he scoffed at the villain. Lockdown shoved one of the Tentycons aside as he approached the cell.

"Yeah, just keep up 'dat tough guy act after this!" he calls out, making some rude gestures at the Rangers before he steps away from the cell and toward a console. Pressing a command into the console, a communication line was set up between him, and Arcadyx, his appearance finally revealed to the Rangers for the first time. "Hey boss, I got a special surprise for 'ya! I got four little Power Runts, all caught up!" he proudly boasted, as Arcadyx observed the collection Lockdown managed to acquire. Arcadyx chuckled to himself, staring at the trapped Rangers and civilians. "Lovely work there, Lockdown... a shame the last one of 'em ain't there, but I'll take these little pretties..." he said, cockily, before gazing directly at the Rangers. "'ello there, maties; seems you four managed to get my property... you'd be wise to hand those Cubes over to me..." he said, his tone of voice becoming much more threatening.

Nate stepped forward, toward the cell barrier, his expression growing much more serious. "Well, allow me to make ourselves clear, buddy; you're gonna have to try a whole heck of a lot harder than this to grab the Cubes. Earth hasn't bowed to creeps like you before, and it ain't gonna do so now; especially not to somebody who looks that ridiculous." he replied, crossing his arms. Arcadyx gave a chuckle. "My oh my, you've got a big mouth don't 'ya, Red? Sometimes, you need to learn when to keep quiet..." he responded, mockingly. "Oh yeah?" said Nate, as he leaned against the cell barrier. "Why don't you come on down from that fancy ship of yours and do something about it, eh? Because we'll be waiting to kick your butt back to whatever space pit you crawled out of." he said, evidently ready for a fight now. Arcadyx, however, just gave a big belly laugh. "My, them's fightin' words, Red." he replied, mockingly.

"Just give 'er some time," suddenly, his tone of voice grows much more serious "because when I'm finished putting you, your little Ranger pals, and finally your bird friend down, and I get those Cubes, I'll make sure every single Human on this rotten little ball of water finds themselves in service to me, and there won't be a single thing you, or anything in the universe, can do to stop me." he said, pretty much growling at the Ranger, before finally disconnecting. Lockdown laughs to himself before turning to the civilians, and the Rangers. "Now if 'ya animals don't mind... I'll be on the prowl for some more criminals to lock up!" he said, disappearing into the ground, as the Tentycon squad stays behind to watch the cells. Josh growls in frustration, slamming his hands against the cell barrier. "Now what?!" he asks, angrily. Meanwhile, just outside the cave entrance, in a flash of white light came Dawn.

She stood outside of the cave, her confidence still slowly bubbling up within her. She took a deep breath, and began her journey inside. Taking in the sights of the dark tunnel, thankfully keeping her Blazer close by, she walked for about half an hour before she soon came across the closed off chamber entranced, completely sealed off due to rubble. Dawn walked up to the rubble. "...How am I going to get past this?" she thought to herself, soon looking down at the crumbling rubble. She soon realized she had the arduous task of clearing a way through the rubble. "...Okay... I can do this..." she said to herself, beginning to clear her way through the rocks. They were heavy, and they were hard to move, and her hands were unimaginably sore from all of the digging, but still she kept on clearing through them. "...I can do this...I can do this..." she continued saying to herself, repeatedly, as personal encouragement.

The longer she kept digging, the better she was at it, she noticed. She had already dug a large hole through the rocks, but she couldn't stop now. "...I can do this...I can do this!" she said, practically shouting to herself, as her hands suddenly transformed into a pair of claws, much like how Josh had, and she continued slicing through more and more of the rocks, and just as she continued carving her way through, she had finally managed to blast open a large hole through the rubble, which had also also, unfortunately, alerted a squadron of Tentycons keeping a watch in the chamber. She gave a yelp in surprise as the Tentycons soon chittered at each other, and began blasting at her through the newly created hole she had just made. Dawn quickly scrambled through the hole, managing to deck a Tentycon straight in the face with her claws. While Josh's claws basically had lightning whips, Dawn's had rapid fire energy blasts.

Outside, the civilians and the Rangers, who had pretty much given up trying to figure out how to escape, could hear the screeches of the Tentycons and the sound of fighting just beyond the door. There was so much commotion outside, the entire inner chamber began shaking. "Now what?" asked, curious and worried. The shaking continued. "I really hope that's not an earthquake." said Josh, also growing worried, when suddenly the door smashed open, and a Tentycon came screaming through it, crashing right into the civilian's cell before flopping on to the ground. Everybody gasped in surprise, wondering what was going on, when in walked Dawn, standing proudly over the fallen Tentycon. "The White Ranger?!" gasped one of the civilians, completely flabbergasted. "No way!" said another, just as amazed. Dawn quickly turned to the console, her newly unleashed Tiger Slingers still out.

Without warning, she quickly slashed away at the console, ending with it exploding in a shower of sparks, and the cell barriers quickly powered down. She quickly motioned for the civilians to evacuate. "Go, run to the entrance! Get to safety!" she said, as the wave of people poured out of the chamber and rushed off to safety, including her parents, who quickly stopped in front of the Ranger. "Where is our daughter? Is she okay?" asked her mother, as her father stood behind her, looking worried. Dawn simply put a hand on her shoulder. "She's safe, I promise. Now go! Go!" she replied, as her parents nodded and rushed off. Her Ranger form also distorted her voice enough to hide her identity. As soon as the civilians were clear, the other Rangers stepped out of their cell. Owen stepped forward, inquisitive. "Are you... who we think you are?" he asked, and soon, the White Ranger de-morphed, and revealed her identity to the others.

The group gave a surprised, and relieved, expression. "Dawn!" they all cried out, as they gave her a group hug, as Dawn reciprocated with a smile. "I knew you had it in you!" Miranda laughed happily, as the group finished their hug. "Well... it helps that I found some new friends, that I couldn't leave behind." replied Dawn, still smiling. Nate gave a small little happy dance, grinning like an idiot. "This is awesome! We're a complete team now, and together, Arcadyx doesn't stand a chance.. So..." he held out his fist, looking at the others "you guys ready to save the universe?" he declared. "I'm in." said Miranda, putting out her fist. "Let's do it." said Josh, putting his fist out. Owen soon put out his, and Dawn nodded as she put out hers. "Then that's that." said Nate, as the group put their fists down. "Now, let's get this creep!" he finished, with a final nod from the group, and with that the team all raced out of the cave.

Back in town, hundreds of civilians were running away in fear as Lockdown proudly waltzed his way through, looking for any more "prisoners" to capture and detain. "Yo, stripeface!" said a voice from behind him. "Huh, who said that?!" he asked, as he turned around, to see all four Rangers standing right before him. "You?! You escaped containment?! How?!" he asked, completely dumbfounded, when he saw Dawn standing with the group. "YOU!" he proclaimed, pointing at her. "You broke 'em out, didn't 'ya?!" he growled, as Dawn cautiously stepped forward. "...yeah... I did..." she said, before looking back at the others for a moment, before turning back to Lockdown. "Because I couldn't leave my friends behind." she finished, stepping back into the group. "Plus, there's no way we could go about our day while your ugly mug is still out here." quipped Nate, with a smug grin on his face.

Lockdown growled angrily; he had enough of this Ranger's cockiness. "Now y'all are really gonna get it! Tentycons!" he yelled out, as he threw out several Tentycene Disks, and out popped a squad of Tentycons, all ready for battle. The Rangers did the same. "You guys ready?" asked Nate, turning to the group, as they all gave a nod in response. "Good, because It's Morphin' Time!" he proclaimed, with the group all summoning their Spirit Cubes. "Spirits Within, Awaken!" exclaimed the group, all going through the morph sequence, and in a bright flash of their respective colors, the team had all morphed, and readied themselves for battle. "Crush 'em!'' yelled out Lockdown, as the Tentycons all rushed into battle. Nate proudly ran his hand over his helmet, like he was slicking his hair. "Just remember, when you mess with Earth, it bites back!" he exclaimed, summoning his Whipblade, as he and the other Rangers charged in.

Nate quickly summoned his Eagle Boost and, with a huge sonic boom, spins his way through three Tentycons, grabbing another with the elongated blade and quickly slinging it a good hundred meters in the air before Nate, in a lightning fast blur of red, slashes through it like a hot knife through butter. Three more Tentycons charge toward Miranda, who dives head first into the ground, swiftly disappearing and leaving the foot soldiers completely baffled for only a moment, before she had came back up in Shark Spin mode, gracefully carving through the helpless Tentycons. Owen, in combat with two more, dropkicks one and manages to blast another right in its tendriled face, while Josh and Dawn charge forth and cut down four more with their Lion Slashers and Tiger Slingers. With no more Tentycons to harass them, the Rangers gather in front of Lockdown.

Lockdown summoned more Entrapment Chains, at least five of them. "Y'all are gonna be goin' away for life!" he roared, throwing the Chains at the Rangers, as Josh, Dawn, and Nate stepped forward. "Not happening!" cried out Josh, as the three started slashing the Chains right out of the air, with every single one of them falling to the ground with heavy clanks. Lockdown roared and rushed toward the Rangers. "Why I 'oughta!'' he cried out, when suddenly Nate hit him with three slashes from his Whipblade, which soon led to Owen running at him like a linebacker, his Elephant Stompers still active and just as Lockdown is about to swing at him, he slides underneath him and boots him a good hundred into the air. Lockdown screamed like a child as he was launched like a rocket. Miranda then leapt up into the air, fired up her Shark Spin once more and bashed him around like a pinball.

He's flailing around wildly when Dawn and Josh had started slashing away at him with both of their Lion Slashers and Tiger Slingers, as he got pelted with energy blasts, mid-air, over and over again. Lockdown finally lands with a heavy thud and crash, as he grumbles in pain, trying to pick himself up. The Rangers all gather around, ready to put an end to this battle. Nate turned to Owen. "Ready to try that finishing move we practiced?" he asked, growing excited. "It's worth a shot!" he replied, as he and the other Rangers, aside from Dawn and Nate, readied their Blazers into Blaster mode. Dawn turned to the others. "What move?" she asked, as Miranda put a hand on her shoulder. "Just follow our lead." she replied, confidently. Dawn just nodded and quickly set her Blazer as well. Nate held out his Whipblade. "All together now!" he said, proudly, as he and the Rangers soon jumped high into the air.

In a bright flash of gold, the Rangers all transformed into a massive golden claw with corresponding colored claws on each tip, as a loud roar echoed out. "Spirit... STRIKE!" the Rangers cried out, as the claw came down and carved its way through Lockdown, who in a scream of pain, went out in a satisfying explosion. "And that takes care of that!" quipped Nate, dusting off his hands. Up on the Ethospear, Arcadyx sighed in disappointment, as yet another monster had failed. "Aww, and just the action was gettin' good..." he said, visibly annoyed, although with a lilt of sarcasm in his voice. Cuborax, however, was far less amused, giving a growl in frustration. "How much longer until you stop playing with these pests... I'm growing tired of waiting." he snarled, turning to Arcadyx. "Oh quit 'yer belly-achin', you'll get your turn soon enough."

He pressed his chair button and out shot up another Megadallion, which he gracefully caught between his fingers. " In the meantime, let's turn things up a notch..." he said, sticking the alien coin into the chair's slot and out it went, hurtling towards Earth. Planetside, as the Rangers were still celebrating their victory, Dawn looked up and noticed the distinct glow and screech the Megadallion made, as it continued through the atmosphere. "What's that?" she asked, tapping Josh on the shoulder. He turned around to see the Megadallion come closer and closer. "It's one of those monster growing things!" he cried out, prompting the other Rangers to turn around. "Get your Blazers out, shoot it down!" ordered Nate, as all five of the Rangers quickly set their Blazers to Blaster mode and fired at the incoming coin, but every single shot just bounced off it like nothing, some blasts even shot back at the crew, forcing them to take cover.

The coin soon embedded itself into Lockdown, and in a burst of gold light, he soon grew to colossal size. "I'm throwin' ALL of y'all behind bars!" he roared, standing taller than most buildings now. "It's always the hard way with them, isn't it?" said Owen, as the Rangers all stared at the now gigantic Lockdown. Dawn began to panic. "What do we do now?!" she said, stammering and tripping over her own words. Miranda stepped over and put her hand on her shoulder. "Just follow our lead." she replied, summoning her Cube and setting it to Zord Mode. Dawn quietly nodded and did the same. "Cubezords, arise!'' The Rangers all cried out, opening up their Cubes and out came their respective Cubezords, In respective bursts of light, the Rangers all transported into their Cubezords. Each of the Rangers sat in their cockpits, inserted their Cubes in the stone control terminal, and prepared themselves for battle.

"Elephant Cubezord, fully operational." said Owen, cracking his fingers. "I'm ready too." responded Dawn, taking a deep breath in preparation. Nate gave an approving nod. "Music to my ears, now let's beat this bozo!" he said, as all five Cubezords charged forward. The Shark Cubezord lets out a roar as it dives forward and clamps down on Lockdown's left arm. Lockdown lets out a groan of pain, just as the Lion Cubezord did the same to his right arm, both trying to hold the monster down. "'Ya don't gang up on the law, unless 'ya wanna get PUNISHED!" he roared, as he swung his arms together and smashed the two Cubezords into each other, with a huge explosion of sparks coming out, and the two Zords dropped to the ground. "Miranda!" cried out Dawn, as she hastily tried to think of something to do. She looked all over the control terminal. "...w-what do I do?!" she thought to herself, in a panic.

Out of options, "Maybe this?" she just motioned her hands inside the command field and out came two claws, which soon started firing multiple energy blasts at Lockdown, making him stumble back. "Why I oughta!" roared Lockdown, as he summoned another Entrapment Chain and tossed it as Dawn. Suddenly, the Elephant Cubezord charged in between Dawn and Lockdown. "Hang on to something." he calmly said, moving his hands inside the field, and soon his Zord stuck out its trunk, and fired out a heavy blast of air, catching the Entrapment Chain in the gust and managing to bash Lockdown right in the face, sending him tumbling back, as the Eagle Cubezord soon joined the others. "You guys alright?" asked Nate, sounding audibly worried about the two downed Rangers. Miranda shook her head, trying to clear it. "Yeah, we're fine, but our Zords are messed up pretty badly." she replied.

Josh made a command in the energy field, trying to get his Zord back up and running. "We've got auto repair systems online, but we can't do anything while we're getting fixed up!" he responded, meaning the two couldn't be used in the Primal Megazord. "...what are we going to do?" asked Dawn, worried. Out of ideas, Nate pulled out his Cube and set it to call mode. "Talonwing, Josh and Miranda's Zords are out of commission, any ideas?" he asked, looking for guidance. "There is. The Elephant and Tiger Cubezords can work with the Eagle Cubezord to build an alternate Megazord combination for situations such as these. Utilize this new combination, and destroy Lockdown once and for all." responded Talonwing, in his usual calm demeanor. Nate gave a nod in response. "Sounds good to me! Josh, Miranda, lick your wounds and rest up, we'll take it from here! Dawn, Owen, follow my lead!" he commanded.

"Got it!" replied both Dawn and Owen, pulling out their Cubes and setting them to Megazord mode. "Primal Megazord, begin construction!" the three Rangers cried out, and soon their respective Cubezords reverted to their untransformed mode. Down came the Elephant Cubezord, followed by the Tiger, and finally the Eagle, as the final head piece came down, and with that, the Primal Megazord's Tiger-Elephant combination was complete, and right as Lockdown get himself back on his feet. "Eh, what's this here?!" he said, confused, as the Megazord stood in a battle stance. "C'mon, then!" roared Lockdown, pounding his chest before charging at the Megazord, summoning another Entrapment Chain, swinging it wildly at the mecha, but with an unprecedented level of grace, manages to slice the chain holding the ball in half with the claws on its knees.

Lockdown looked dumbfounded as his weapon fell to the ground, destroyed. "Hey! Don't make me add destruction 'o property to 'ya records!" he yelled, running at the Megazord. "Yeah? Well... add this!" replied Dawn, as she motioned her hands in her command field, as just as Lockdown was right at them, the Megazord lifted its left leg, and kicked him straight in the gut with its claw. "Oooh, that's smarts!" said Lockdown, clutching his stomach in pain. "So will this!" replied Nate, turning to the others. "Ready to finish this?" he asked, putting a hand on his Cube. "Ready!" said Dawn and Owen, turning their Cubes a quarter to the right and back, and soon the Megazord lifted its right leg, glowing blindingly bright with energy. "Spirit Stomp!" cried out the Rangers, as the Megazord's leg came down with unprecedented strength, with a huge burst of energy traveling through the ground.

The blast finally came up from beneath Lockdown, with a massive explosion. Lockdown stumbled around, sparking wildly. "Guess my shift... finally ended!" he said, as he fell to the ground and finally went out in a huge fireball. In their cockpits, all of the Rangers celebrated their victory. "We did it!" shouted Dawn, excited. "Yeah! Score one for the wild!" laughed Nate, as the Megazord stood proudly over its fallen adversary. Later in the day, as he sat alone in the Sanctuary, meditating, Talonwing turned to see the Rangers having come back victorious. "We're back!" said Josh, in a sing-songy tone. "And we're stronger than ever." responded Owen, stretching his arms. All five Rangers gathered around Talonwing. "Excellent work, by all of you, but most especially to you, Dawn." he said, turning to her. "Despite your fear, you have risen to the challenge and have proven yourself worthy of inheriting the Spirit Cube's power."

Dawn nodded quietly. "I was afraid, and I still am..." she said, as she turned to the others, "but it's not going to stop me... it's going to keep me going forward." she finished, confidently. Talonwing nodded approvingly. "You are stronger because of it. All of you are." he turned to Nate. "Nathan, as quick and elegant in battle as the Eagle, even if your mouth outpaces you." he said, with Nate giving a small chuckle, smiling. "Miranda, moving like water and with a clear mind, much like the Shark spirit within you." he said to the Blue Ranger, as she gave a silent nod in response. He turned to Josh. "Joshua, you embody the Lion; ferocious and unstoppable." he said, as Josh gave a smile. "Owen, your mind is as focused and as tactical as the Elephant; may it serve you well in the battles ahead." he said, as Owen gave a nod as well. He then turned to Dawn.

"And finally Dawn... you are a dauntless, unmovable force. You embrace the Tiger." he said, as she smiled, looking at the others. Talonwing then took a step back. "I am honored to say... a new generation of Power Rangers has taken the mantle of Earth's defenders." he finished, and with it, all of the Rangers let out a cheer. Nate put his arms around the group. "Y'know, I think this calls for a bit of a celebration. Why don't we go to that burger shop downtown, and grab a bite to eat?" he offered, looking at the others, as Owen shrugged. "Eh, why not? Maybe some food'll help with the mental burnout I'm feeling." replied Owen, as the Rangers all disembarked from the Sanctuary, leaving Talonwing by himself once more. "Stay vigilant Rangers... the universe depends on it..." he said to himself, proud of the team that had just been forged; the Power Rangers Primal Spirits.